News & Events

Felony Animal Cruelty Arrest

June 22, 2015

Category: Press Releases

19 June 2015, an officer responded to an apartment complex located at 250 Greenley Road, regarding a reported animal cruelty incident. The officer contacted the manager who reported their surveillance cameras captured an animal cruelty incident, which had occurred on their property.

The video shows a red Toyota Celica drive into the parking lot of the complex, on the night of 15 June 2015, at approx. 11:11 pm. A male subject exits the vehicle, grabs a cat by the tail, swings the cat over his head and slams the cat down onto the pavement, resulting in fatal injuries to the cat. The officer was able to identify the suspect as Spencer Morse, 19 of Sonora.

20 June 2015, at approx. 11:30 am, someone called the police department and reported the suspect vehicle was parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Officers responded to the area and contacted Morse as he returned to his vehicle. During an interview with Morse, he admitted to the incident and another incident. He claimed an unrelated cat had bitten him on the finger approximately a week prior, so he had driven to the apartment complex with the intent to locate and harm a cat.

Morse was taken into custody without incident and booked at the Tuolumne County Jail for felony cruelty to animals. Morse has no prior criminal history.